"Our mission is checking with the local university and Indian nationals for confirmation," he said.

All 62 people, including seven crew members on board a flight from Dubai were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames as it was landing in Rostov-on-Don on Saturday morning, said a spokesman from the local ministry, quoted by the official TASS news agency.

The accident happened at 0050 GMT, according to an official statement from the emergencies ministry.

State news agency Tass reported that the Investigative Committee said preliminary information indicates the plane was landing when it hit the ground and broke into pieces at the airport about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow.

There was no immediate information on the cause, although some news reports suggested weather could have been a factor. There was rain and winds of about 11 meter per second (25 mph) at the time of the crash.

"We are currently contacting relatives of the passengers and crew who were on board and we are offering any help we can to those affected," said the airline statement.

On October 31, a Russian airliner blew up in the air over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. Investigators determined it was destroyed by a bomb onboard.